short notes:
will brady's ruminations
will brady's ruminations
2008-06-04
water
We are in the middle of getting a new well drilled. We hired John Sima from Cheshire. The rig displayed here goes up above the tree tops, and I'm told is one of Sima's smaller rigs.
Don't yet know how far down we have to go before hooking into an acceptable aquifer but we'll find out. A neighbor a quarter mile north had to go down 320 feet but got a good supply.
The yard is in chaos but I don't know how that could have been avoided. Our property is on a series of narrow terraces, and abutted with a 200 ft hight cliff on the eastern side. A road cuts through the property with s concrete and stone retaining wall limited access from the east side of the land. There is, quite literally, only one place where the drilling rig can make it on to the property, and even that location required prep work before the drilling could get started.
The well drilling process is messy but as long as we get the desired result, namely a fresh continuous flow of water, I'll be happy.
When the project is completed, we'll have two working wells; the shallow dug well [that is no deeper than 11 feet] and the drilled well. Both shall be hooked up together but will be able to be run separately. We'll likely use the dug well for yard and garden needs.
We are in the middle of getting a new well drilled. We hired John Sima from Cheshire. The rig displayed here goes up above the tree tops, and I'm told is one of Sima's smaller rigs.Don't yet know how far down we have to go before hooking into an acceptable aquifer but we'll find out. A neighbor a quarter mile north had to go down 320 feet but got a good supply.
The yard is in chaos but I don't know how that could have been avoided. Our property is on a series of narrow terraces, and abutted with a 200 ft hight cliff on the eastern side. A road cuts through the property with s concrete and stone retaining wall limited access from the east side of the land. There is, quite literally, only one place where the drilling rig can make it on to the property, and even that location required prep work before the drilling could get started.
The well drilling process is messy but as long as we get the desired result, namely a fresh continuous flow of water, I'll be happy.
When the project is completed, we'll have two working wells; the shallow dug well [that is no deeper than 11 feet] and the drilled well. Both shall be hooked up together but will be able to be run separately. We'll likely use the dug well for yard and garden needs.
Labels: home life, water, water supply, well drilling
¶ 13:41 0 comments
2008-01-02
water
Finally, after more than 3 months, we have running water again! We have a shallow well that has been almost empty since September. Barely 12 foot deep, lined with brownstone rocks and reliant only on the contents of the water-table available in the sandy soil that rests atop ledge rock.
Since Christmas the well has been slowly filling back up, but when we tried priming the pump nothing happened. When the level rose over three feet, we called a plumber, who came over, threw water into the pipe but nothing came of it. They didn't even use half a gallon, didn't check the well, didn't diagnose the problem, only told us that there was not enough water in the well. From
past experience I knew otherwise.
I talked the problem out with a couple of folks and decided it had to be the foot valve was stuck. I bought a new one, in case the present one needed replacing [it is, after all, over 35 years old] and yesterday we banged around the pipe. It twisted and turned about but would not budge from the elbow coupling.
We were about to give up and take a hacksaw to the pipe, when I said 'let's try priming it one more time.' Low and behold, it worked!
So now we have running water again. Time to take a bath in the old porcelain claw foot tub. We won't be using the plumber [with whom we've done business for years] anymore.
Finally, after more than 3 months, we have running water again! We have a shallow well that has been almost empty since September. Barely 12 foot deep, lined with brownstone rocks and reliant only on the contents of the water-table available in the sandy soil that rests atop ledge rock. Since Christmas the well has been slowly filling back up, but when we tried priming the pump nothing happened. When the level rose over three feet, we called a plumber, who came over, threw water into the pipe but nothing came of it. They didn't even use half a gallon, didn't check the well, didn't diagnose the problem, only told us that there was not enough water in the well. From
past experience I knew otherwise.I talked the problem out with a couple of folks and decided it had to be the foot valve was stuck. I bought a new one, in case the present one needed replacing [it is, after all, over 35 years old] and yesterday we banged around the pipe. It twisted and turned about but would not budge from the elbow coupling.
We were about to give up and take a hacksaw to the pipe, when I said 'let's try priming it one more time.' Low and behold, it worked!
So now we have running water again. Time to take a bath in the old porcelain claw foot tub. We won't be using the plumber [with whom we've done business for years] anymore.
PICTURE CREDITS: Water faucet: Uncommon Goods || Claw foot tub: Windspire Inn
Labels: drought, resources. wells, water
¶ 23:44 0 comments
2007-11-23
water
"We haven't bathed at our house since August" said I, with a grin, to a suitably shocked guest at a gathering yesterday. She wrinkled up her nose, then, tentatively said, "...but you don't smell all that bad..."
Actually, it would have been more precise to have said that our water well, which is only 8 meters in depth, has gone all but dry and we have not had water running through the house pipes since that time.
As far as the bathing part, well, plenty of people have offered use of tubs and showers. We can both shower at our workplaces and at the gym. The real problem comes when flushing the toilet. So we have developed a storage system that includes six 32 gallon rubber cans [there are four of them pictured on the left]. We refill them with a couple of lengths of hose from a neighbor's much deeper drilled well. From the filled drums we extract water by the gallons in jugs. This endeavor means that the new Gould's water pump purchased last spring [see the pix to the right] is not much more than an expensive sculptural piece.
Come the winder rains and snowfall, I'm hoping the groundwater shall adequately recharge itself. If not, then we are going to have to bite the fiscal bullet and have a well drilled for ourselves.
I remain perhaps more philosophical about this than Bruce, having lived in places where running water just was not available. I do get tired, however, of all those igonrant types who ask with a troubling innocent incredulity, "Why aren't you getting water from the city?"
Sub-Urbans! the bane of my existence.
"We haven't bathed at our house since August" said I, with a grin, to a suitably shocked guest at a gathering yesterday. She wrinkled up her nose, then, tentatively said, "...but you don't smell all that bad..."Actually, it would have been more precise to have said that our water well, which is only 8 meters in depth, has gone all but dry and we have not had water running through the house pipes since that time.
As far as the bathing part, well, plenty of people have offered use of tubs and showers. We can both shower at our workplaces and at the gym. The real problem comes when flushing the toilet. So we have developed a storage system that includes six 32 gallon rubber cans [there are four of them pictured on the left]. We refill them with a couple of lengths of hose from a neighbor's much deeper drilled well. From the filled drums we extract water by the gallons in jugs. This endeavor means that the new Gould's water pump purchased last spring [see the pix to the right] is not much more than an expensive sculptural piece.
Come the winder rains and snowfall, I'm hoping the groundwater shall adequately recharge itself. If not, then we are going to have to bite the fiscal bullet and have a well drilled for ourselves.
I remain perhaps more philosophical about this than Bruce, having lived in places where running water just was not available. I do get tired, however, of all those igonrant types who ask with a troubling innocent incredulity, "Why aren't you getting water from the city?"
Sub-Urbans! the bane of my existence.
Labels: drought, water, water tanks, wells
¶ 08:32 0 comments
